Our Work

Resource Investment - World Camp believes that many global problems can be alleviated if everyone commits to sharing resources and caring for others. A new impetus is needed, guiding further advancement with concrete actions to improve people’s livelihoods while conserving the environment and natural resources. As such World Camp will promote sustainable development by targeting five thematic areas, notably: Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity. World camp uses human and financial investments to provide systems that bring individuals together to scale their ideas. We aim to advance the adoption of information and technology in healthcare and the environment for the purpose of improving community and global health. We chose to align with partners who work on other development projects beyond education to participate in an effective allocation of philanthropic resources. Working alongside partners who work with water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity creates a holistic effect within each community and a combined energy is put towards bettering themselves.

With a population of over 14 million, Malawi is the most densely populated country in sub-Saharan Africa. Malawi is also one of the poorest countries in the world; an estimated 60% of the population living in absolute poverty and less than 2% of the population has access to electricity and other forms of cooking and heating. The quality of Malawi’s land and resources is intrinsically connected to major issues surrounding poverty, public health and development in the country. Malawi is a small country in which individuals and communities largely depend on subsistence farming for survival. Without sustainable solutions for balancing the population’s resource needs with resource conservation, the country faces extreme health and environmental issues.

The need for sustainable solutions in Malawi is evidenced by the lack of capital, illiteracy, poor health, high population and environmental degradation. Therefore, sustainable development solutions must include those processes and activities that are directed at the economic, environmental and health well-being to improve the quality of life for Malawians and ecosystems without compromising the ability of future generations to meet these needs. Through global partnerships World Camp will support and inspire people from around the world to take action in support of the Millennium Development Goals.

Education - World Camp provides comprehensive health and environmental education to students and teachers in Malawi. World Camp trains interns and teaching specialists from around the world to teach and discuss the subjects of HIV transmission and prevention, stigma, living positively with AIDS, deforestation, erosion, climate change, alternative energies, gender equality and empowerment. Currently World Camp works with 45 Malawian communities conducting informative and interactive programs in a summer camp-like atmosphere. Teaching specialists facilitate education, outreach, and action planning in classroom and community settings.

World Camp works with educators and their communities to prepare young people for the shift toward a sustainable future. Our unique curriculum and innovative approach were founded in the recognition that lasting transformation in education requires innovation at the curricular, institutional, and community levels. Our curricula and educational outreach programs have been designed to meet local and regional needs. They are designed to engage students, teachers, and communities in the process of developing a sustainable future through specialized curriculum and instruction, community partnerships, service, hands-on, and project-based learning.

Why HIV in Malawi?

Malawi has one of the highest annual population growth rates, one of the highest rates of urbanization and one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the region. Approximately 930,000 people in Malawi currently live with HIV and AIDS, including 120,000 children. According to the Malawi Demographic Health Survey (MDHS 2004), an estimated 12.8 percent of the population has HIV/AIDS. An estimated 640,000 people have died of AIDS, at a rate of approximately 86,000-100,000 annually. HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death among individuals aged 15-59; those who contribute most to a community’s development and often considered the “most productive age group.” In fact, HIV/AIDS results in 50,000 to 70,000 deaths within this age group annually. Out of Malawi’s one million orphans, 500,000 have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS.

Did You Know?

• In sub-Saharan Africa, there are currently 4.1 million people with AIDS who are in immediate need of life-saving anti-retroviral drugs. (Source:WTO)
• Currently more than 11 million children in Africa have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS; that number is expected to reach 20 million by 2010. (Source:UNAIDS/UNICEF)
• There are 42 million people living with HIV and AIDS worldwide. It is a global emergency claiming approximately 8,000 lives every day in some of the poorest countries. (Source:Oxfam)
• 1 in every 100 people worldwide is HIV positive: One third of them are aged 15-24.(Source:ActionAid UK)
• Approximately 40% of the world's population-mostly those living in the world's poorest countries-is at risk of contracting malaria. Malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and at least one million deaths annually.

Why Environmental Conservation?

The quality of Malawi’s land and resources are intrinsically connected to major issues surrounding poverty, public health and development in the country. Malawi is a small country in which individuals and communities largely depend on subsistence farming for survival. Thus, environmental awareness and protection is essential in the overall well-being of the nation. 96% of the country depends on trees for firewood as a main, and sometimes only, energy source (NSO 2000). In some rural areas, that percentage is as high as 99.6 (NSO 2000). Less than 2% of the population has access to electricity and other forms of cooking and heating. Furthermore, Malawians are heavily reliant on the natural wood resources around them for building and other commodities. Several studies have linked high rates of poverty to an increased reliance on natural resource collection for consumption and use (Kamanga 2008; Nankhuni 2004).

Thus, wood is one of the most necessary and accessible resources, though quickly diminishing. Deforestation in Malawi increases at a rate of approximately 0.25 percent per annum: 2.4 percent over a ten year study period. Among other factors, poverty and small scale agriculture are main aggregates of widespread dependence on forest resources. 63 percent of the country lives below the poverty line (NSO 2000) and more than 80 percent of the population relies on agriculture for a living or has a sole income from subsistence farming (Kamanga 2008). Areas lacking sufficient forest cover result in extreme soil erosion. This has a significantly negative impact on a community’s ability to yield sufficient crops-both in terms of time and quantity.

Did You Know?

• In our world today around 2.5 billion people do not have access to improved sanitation and some 1.2 billion people do not have access to an improved source of water.

Why Gender Empowerment?

Global prosperity and peace will only be achieved once all of the world's people are empowered to order their own lives and provide for themselves and their families. Societies where women are more equal stand a much greater chance of achieving the Millennium Goals by 2015. Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies were women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner. World Camp’s Gender Empowerment forums work to eliminate gender disparity among our partner primary schools.

Did You Know?

• Of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70% are women. (Source: World Revolution)
• Women do about 66% of the world's work in return for less than 5% of its income. (Source: Women's International Network)
• In the least developed countries nearly twice as many women over age 15 are illiterate compared to men. (Source: UNFPA)
• Two-thirds of children denied primary education are girls, and 75% of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are women. (Source: AskWoman)
• Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours, produce half of the world's food, and yet earn only 10% of the world's income and own less than 1% of the world's property. (Source :World Development Indicators, 1997, Womankind Worldwide)

Grassroots Outreach - World Camp collaborates with Malawian communities to confront locally challenging issues and develop short- and long- term solutions. World Camp provides communities with program infrastructure and support to meet humanitarian needs. The greatest development issues currently facing poor countries surround those of the most basic survival necessities and human rights.

Camp Hope

Built on the Hole in the Wall Camp model, World Camp will partner with the Paul Newman Foundation and Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Malawi to adapt a program for HIV positive youth and address the social and emotional needs of these children including life skills, disease education, medication adherence and decision making. The result is a locally designed, culturally applicable program that excites, inspires and empowers children to regain their sense of optimism, possibility and hope.

This Global Partnership Initiative will deliver high-quality programming that intertwines HIV/AIDS education and traditional camp activities. These camps will are aimed at enhancing the campers’ adherence to treatment as well as encouraging them to create a sense of possibility and optimism. The activities at camp are designed to help children live positively and develop hope for their future by fostering resilience, rekindling a sense of joy and curiosity, teaching them how to make informed decisions and surrounding them in a supportive community with positive role models.

Youth have enormous mental and physical energy and official attention to HIV positive youth in Malawi has been minimal. Investment in World Camp’s Camp Hope programming for HIV positive youth serves as a potent strategy to build child self-esteem and adherence to treatment. The psycho-social benefits matched with improved care and treatment, including access to antiretroviral therapy enables many to live into their teenage years and beyond. As the number of HIV-infected youth increases, extended programs are needed to provide age-appropriate care, psychosocial support, reproductive health counseling, and advocacy. One of the most significant problems facing HIV-positive youth is a lack of support networks, difficulty disclosing their status, isolation, trouble coping with their status, and stigma and discrimination.

Camp Hope Malawi creates a positive experience where HIV-positive children are understood and accepted. At Camp Hope children build independence, gain self-confidence and enhance their coping and resilience.

 

Professional Capacity Building Projects

World Camp’s Professional Capacity Building projects match professional volunteers with community needs in order to help community based organizations improve management, structure and leadership of local initiatives. In rural villages of Malawi, Community Based Organizations (CBO) provide a direct and sustainable relationship with community members. Staff and local volunteers play a key role in the organization of local leaders, teachers, women groups, families and children. Their time, energy and ideas are vital in providing sustainable programs that support struggling children and families. The Professional Capacity Building project aims to increase the capabilities and outreach of CBOs by providing unique training opportunities at a professional level that are otherwise unavailable. These projects support environmental and economic sustainability, youth empowerment and local health needs. These projects integrate capacity building and community participation to create sustainable community-based solutions.

World Camp selects professionals based on skill sets that are adapted to the needs of our partner CBOs and matches them with community development staff and volunteers. World Camp’s training programs focus on transforming individuals and community leaders to become action-oriented in development activities. Our training places emphasis on participatory training techniques, which empower individuals and community leaders to take positive action in development activities.

World Camp MediServ International

Mediserv International is the medical aid division of World Camp. The goal and mission of Mediserv International is to provide both acute and chronic care to a population of patients who would otherwise not have access to medical care. Mediserv International delivers aid to the underserved populations by placing volunteer doctors, supervised medical students, nurses and other health care providers in rural or mobile clinics in Malawi for short-term stays throughout the year. Mediserv International will work to develop a network of full time Malawian doctors and nurses to create continuity of care when volunteer doctors are not in country.

One of the biggest challenges currently facing Malawi is the lack of human resources available within the country. In terms of the AIDS epidemic in Malawi, this problem has been most significant in the healthcare sector, where attempts to increase access to HIV testing and treatment have been hindered by a severe shortage of staff. Malawi has just one doctor per 50,000 people – one of the lowest levels in the world. Although funding for healthcare has increased, there are simply not enough trained staff available. While the shortage of medical staff in Malawi has partly been caused by factors such as migration and a lack of access to education, it has also been directly aggravated by AIDS. The National Association of Nurses in Malawi (NONM) estimates that four nurses are lost to HIV and AIDS related illness every month. By connecting volunteer health providers with underserved populations in Malawi World Camp will provide a comprehensive continuum of services provided through medical mission trips.

Honduras is a country struggling to develop under the strain of health and environmental issues similar to those that World Camp deals with in Malawi. According to the United Nations Population Fund, Honduras accounts for more than half of all reported HIV cases in Central America, marking it a prime candidate for the strong curriculum we have already developed in our camp models. Most rural communities are agrarian economies whose way of life is threatened by dwindling resources in the local environment. While other aid organizations work in Honduras, World Camp’s unique approach to education would undoubtedly have a strong impact on local communities. The obstacles to these communities’ growth can be combated with a concise curriculum targeted to improve the local knowledge base.

Since 2006, World Camp’s pilot Honduras Program has had the privilege of collaborating with 53 dedicated volunteers who, through their compassion and hard work, have taught over 3500 students in 24 different schools about HIV/AIDS prevention and the environment. We have worked in urban schools in Tela and El Progreso as well as in rural schools surrounding Tela, including the Garifuna communities along the Caribbean Coast. We also worked side-by-side with local Hondurans on trail restoration projects in the Jeannette Kawas National Park, one of Honduras’ largest protected areas of ecosystems. Furthermore, World Camp’s volunteers have led information sessions on HIV/AIDS for patients awaiting treatment in medical clinics in Tela, facilitated team-building activities in orphanages in El Progreso and participated in building improvement projects in the mountain community of El Pital with Un Mundo, a non-profit, international development organization that promotes dignity, community and self-sufficiency.

Dependent upon assessments of World Camp’s pilot programs our work may venture into smaller cities in the more rural parts of Honduras were we will be able to continue assessments of local needs and develop curricula and projects to respond to these needs. Meeting with both local educators and community leaders will help refine World Camp’s understanding of what information is lacking in the rural communities. As we make contacts and survey feasibility of expansion our efforts will be directed at investigating the infrastructure that exists in communities we aim to serve.

Our pilot initiatives in Ahmedabad, India parallel those of World Camp as an organization, and centers on empowering children and teachers with the knowledge and resources necessary to address HIV/AIDS and environmental concerns within their communities. The pilot programs in India work to accomplish these objectives by building a program that is effective, sustainable, and operates within a culturally sensitive and appropriate framework. Working primarily with students in standards 7-10, our interactive curriculum addresses these issues through open dialogue and experiential learning. AS HIV/AIDS and the environment are issues of crucial importance to the overall well-being and quality of life in disadvantaged communities, the impact of our curriculum must extend beyond the classroom.

Our essential focus is sustainability; both in terms of program management and education impact. The India Program concentrates on adapting and managing an organizational model that allows for continuity and effectiveness through training, communication, and development. We are currently exploring ways to ensure students and teachers have contacts and resources to aid in continual learning, awareness, and action even after our camps have finished.

Dependent upon assessments of World Camp’s pilot programs our work may expand in India were we will be able to continue assessments of local needs and develop curricula and projects to respond to these needs. Meeting with both local educators and community leaders will help refine World Camp’s understanding of what information is lacking in these communities. As we make contacts and survey feasibility of expansion our efforts will be directed at investigating the infrastructure that exists in communities we aim to serve.